Iranian Nuclear Talks End With No Deal, More Talks Scheduled

Nuclear talks between Iran and major world powers ended early Sunday in Geneva with no deal, but Iran says it is not disappointed. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters the three days of marathon talks were good and gave all sides something to build on. He says he hopes there can be a deal when the talks resume November 20.

The Agreement in Suspension (cover of Tehran's Etemaad daily)
Photo:U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, third left, meets with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, center left, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, third right, at the Iran Nuclear talks in Geneva, Nov. 9, 2013

Later Sunday in Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will not give up what he called its right of uranium enrichment. He told the conservative-dominated parliament that a "red line" that cannot be crossed is Iran's ability to enrich uranium on Iranian soil.

Early Sunday in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told a news conference there is no question that all sides are closer to a deal now than when the talks began. He said diplomacy must be exhausted, but warned that such a window will not stay open indefinitely.

European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said there was concrete progress but that differences remain. She gave no details.

The talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany are aimed at persuading Iran to suspend work that could allow it to build nuclear weapons. In exchange, the U.N. would ease some of its crippling sanctions against Iran.

The United States and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb. Iran insists its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful civilian uses.

No one is saying how close the sides are to a deal, but a Western diplomat is accusing France of complicating the talks.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Paris is not satisfied with Iran's position and will not be part of what he called a "fool's deal."

He demands that Iran suspend work on its plutonium-producing reactor in the western city of Arak.